Captain Planet and the Planeteers
by Setever
Summary: A story retold darker.
1. Chapter 0

Chapter 0

Gaia picked up her purple, satin dress and stepped over the puddle of mud. Her Jamaican accent was heavy as she spoke: "This is no good, Zarm." He stepped over it as well, looking softly at her. He reached his hand to grab her shoulder.

"Gaia... this planet has no chance. You and I have both seen it -- we cannot deter this; we are not strong enough." His accent resembled hers. Zarm stroked her long, brown hair and looked away from her, ahead. "I don't plan on staying." He walked forward. There was a toll of silence.

Her voice was shaky. "You cannot leave me. This is our planet. This is our planet, Zarm. We must save it together. I cannot do this alone, but both of us can!" Her voice cracked as she finished the sentence.

He continued walking, trying his hardest not to listen to Gaia's words.

"Zarm... I cannot -- you..." He interrupted.

"Gaia, Earth is doomed. I have already broken myself from this godforsaken planet. I am going to find another and I will make it what your planet could never be -- Earth will collapse, Gaia." He paused and turned in her direction -- faint tears ran down her cheeks. "You have two options: The first would be to follow me -- start a new planet of life and growth. The second, Gaia... You can stay here and feel the planet's destruction as the next millennium passes."

He took a few steps towards Gaia and held his hand out. "Which do you pick?"

The tears had long stopped and her eyes grew wider as she talked to him. "You are nothing but a coward, Zarm. You are not the man that once made the birds fly. You no longer care." She held her arm out, and threw it down. "I will save this planet, Zarm."

His arm faded downwards and a snarl was patched against his face. "Gaia, you will leave just as I did. You will come to the new world of life and will be nothing."

He raised both his hands up to his waist, palms upward. He began to rise and a long trail of red and pink began to sink into the ground as he did so. "The ties are being cut. You cannot save this planet by yourself. My heart no longer resides in this planet." The trail stopped, and Zarm rocket into the air. He gave not even a wave as Hope Island and Gaia left his sight.

Gaia fell to the ground on her knees, grabbing wet soil. Tears began to fall once more. "Perhaps I cannot. I have seen the routes to the future... and I know what must be done."

Her breathing became calm and slow as she closed her eyes. Her hands raised into the air past her head. She began speaking.

"Fire." Two beams of bright fire rose from the sweaty palms of Gaia's hands, meeting ten feet in the air. She clenched her fists, and above her, a ring with a red emblem of fire on it hovered. In seconds, it shot off far away to a far away continent, and her skin became slightly pale.

"Water." From the ground shot geysers of steaming water, the heat having no effect on her. Above her, another ring formed with the a blue water emblem, and was shot to a large continent somewhere.

"Wind." The air above her began to circle, hot colliding with cold. Her hair stood up and was swayed as the winds commanded control. In seconds, a ring blew off in an eastern direction.

"Earth." The earth around her rose, crashing with each other. A ring jet off to a place that needed it most.

"And lastly..." With her hands still up, she rose to her feet, taking a deep breath in. "Heart." Her body began to glow a light red, the color fading in and out. A swivel of pink rose from her, temporarily taking away all of the color in her body. In merely a split second, a ring formed and was sent directly to a destination.

She braced herself, trying her hardest not to fall to the ground. "Perhaps I cannot.... but... they... can." Her feet gave in and she collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily.


	2. Chapter 1

[b]Chapter 1: Fire[/b]

[b]Part One[/b]

"Wheeler!" The two hands smacked in the air as the smile on each of their faces grew larger.

"What's up, bud!?" asked Wheeler, as he bumped his fist into his friend's. The two arms fell to their owners' side. Had the setting sun not been blinding his friend, the color of Wheeler's hair would have seemed to deter from the stark red that always caught attention to a softer blond.

"Sorry I'm late. Pops was putting me through hell." replied Duncan.

"It's ok, man; I know what you mean." Wheeler casually responded. There was a pause, and a laugh from Duncan.

"No you don't, Red!" He continued to chuckle, but Wheeler remained silent. There was another pause -- this time, a hurtful one. He waited to speak until he felt it was right. "Sorry... bud. Didn't mean to go that far." The scene remained silent as the two teens stood by the bench at the park, Duncan looking at Wheeler, and Wheeler looking away, motionless. "I know he's not exactly --"

"It's ok." Wheeler looked up at Duncan and faked a smile. "So, what are you up for today?" The fake smile that lay on his face quickly turned into a real, devious one.

Duncan looked out into the town that was separated from the cave mines behind them by only the park they stood in, and a steep hill which fell in front of the mines, protecting the town in case of erosion.

"You know, man --" Duncan's smile resembled Wheeler's as he outlined the possibilities in his mind. "All day I've been waiting until we could hang out, bored as hell just watching t.v. at my house." He took advantage of his surroundings and sat on the bench that was shaded by the tree. "I was watching some show about some family -- The Huxtables --"

"The Cosby Show." Wheeler casually sat down beside his friend.

"Yeah, right. The Cosby Show. So you've seen it?" He didn't wait for an answer and continued to speak. "That's all Sissy wanted to watch. All fucking day. You happen to see that episode where Rudy gets a new video game?"

"Of course I have. You act like I actually have shit to do during the day. It came on sometime last week, too." Wheeler threw his hand up in the air, disappointed at the repetition of episodes.

"Right. So, it just gave me today's idea, if you have nothing better." Duncan looked at him, waiting.

Wheeler looked into the sky which had yet to change colors from the sun. "I got nothin' better." They turned to each other with identical grins.

***

The day was fleeting, and the skies were turning more purple and more orange. The sun hid behind the tall buildings around them. A small, one-story flat was the focus of the four eyes. It had dirty, brick red shingles atop the building, but the windows allowing an inside view made for a different take: a clean, polished interior with fifteen aisles, each whose dividers were lined with rows and rows of video games. It was, with good reason, the best-advertised store in the whole tri-city area.

"Try not to strike too much attention, bud." said Wheeler aside as they walked towards the entrance. The two put together a conversation hoping them the ease of entry that they desired.

They walked in nonchalantly, Wheeler trailing Duncan.

"I believe it. The test was hard. I know that I passed, but not by much." Duncan said as he started towards the second aisle.

A plump woman whose hair was held up in a tight bun approached them. "Is there... anything I can help you boys with?" Her voice was slightly raspy and unaccepting.

"No thank you, ma'am. We're just browsing." Duncan said, coolly. She eyed the two of them, committing their appearance to memory.

"Well if you need anything," she turned around, her voice trailing off. "just let me know."

The two boys waited until she was out of hearing range.

"Frumpy old bitch." Wheeler proclaimed aside to his friend. They walked down the second aisle and carefully selected which games they wanted.

"Slugger II?" questioned Duncan, walking up the game and holding it out in front of him. Wheeler shrugged and motioned for Duncan to go ahead. He glanced around carefully, hoping to not draw the attention of the slug who approached them earlier. He flicked the game upside down in his hand and shoved it into his pants pocket, shoving it deeply inside. "Doom?"

"Fox's Revenge?" replied Wheeler. The games that each was holding made their way into the deep pockets of the two boys. A sense of accomplishment flowed over their faces. They took two steps forward, looking at more selections.

"Frogger?" asked Duncan, holding up the cartridge.

"Premium Assault?" coaxed Wheeler, holding up his choice.

"Theft's Capture?" interrupted the slug. She looked at them both and grabbed the games out of their hands before they realized what had happened. As soon as they had, however, a wave of fear swept their entire bodies.

"No! We..." Duncan attempted to create an argument for justification. "We... We.. um.."

"We have a good discount!" yelled Wheeler, a retort which he believed was a stroke of genius.

"What discount is that, sweetie -- the five-finger discount?" Her eyes squinted as she put the two games on the shelves beside her. The employee glared at the two of them and grabbed them by the collars of their coat jackets, dragging them to the front.

"Hey, lady! You can't touch us!" The two of them struggled about, stomping their feet in an attempt to deter her but were overpowered by the brute of the woman carrying him to the desk at the front of the store. All of the eyes of customers and associates in the store were fixed upon the three of them. Wheeler's eyes met Duncan's and he bursted out with "GO!" The two boys raised their arms and slipped out of their outerwear, leaving only a thin shirt on both.

"You wait there!" yelled the fat woman as she caught her balance after having been pushed back by the boys. She stumbled forward and tried to catch them; however, they were too quick. They dashed out of the door, the sun just now having set, and the skies slowly turning dark. A yell of frustration came from behind them in the store, but the quick slamming of the door behind them muted it. The darker night presented no obstacle for them; they were experts of the alleys in the city. More athletic than even Duncan, Wheeler led. Feeling invincible, however, Duncan slowed down only at the park which they had met -- a short run's distance from the store and Wheeler followed suit. Wheeler's breath was nearly the same as before, but Duncan's breath was heavier, and he stood still attempting to recapture the regularity of its pace. Their hands smacked once more.

A quick siren was heard from the road beside them and a flash of blue lights illuminated the sky. Such an occurrence was not rare, and perhaps the sirens coming from the now-parked car weren't ones whose driver's target was two teenage thieves, but fear and paranoia led them to believe so. Without even any gesture to signify, they both darted towards the mines over the hill, a desolate area that few people entered; the hill itself was enough of an obstacle; it was nearly vertical and a choice by one to take the stairs could take a very long time.

They both hopped up into the air at the edge and attempted to balance themselves by surfing down the side on their shoes; however, this lasted only a few feet. They began to tumble down the slick, grassy slope. Such an occurrence like this was not rare either, as the two often made their way down to the mines -- almost nightly to hide-- simply enduring the pain to get there. The entrance of the mines was visible from the side of the park, and the two boys lengthened their protection by entering.

There were few lights hanging inside the mines; moreover, half of the ones that were did not work. The mine was abandoned by an earlier generation in hopes of better lives. They slowly walked in and Wheeler pulled out a lighter from his side pocket, brightening the path. Each could see the other, and they both pulled out the two games.

"Close call." They stopped walking and Duncan took them both, showcasing them. "Slugger II and Fox's Revenge. You think it's worth it?" Duncan's smile seemed to illuminate as well.

Wheeler simply looked up from the two games that they acquired to Duncan's expression and laughed. He walked up to him and pat his friend on the back. "Yeah, bud... Totally worth it."

***

[b]Part Two[/b]

Thirty minutes' time passed and the sky was now completely dark; the sun had completely set and the terrifyingly blue lights of the police car had gone. They were sitting across from each against the walls of hard gravel that made up the sides and floor of the mines.

"We're probably all good." Duncan looked at his watch. "The park closed thirty minutes ago when we got in here, so they're not going to be patrolling it for a while." The boys stood up and dusted the dirt off of their clothes.

"You take care of these until tomorrow. We'll try them out then. And if we don't like them, we can exchange 'em." Wheeler's lopsided smile became the prevalent feature on his face. Duncan tossed both of the games up at the same time towards his accomplice, knowing that catching, or anything athletic, had never been a problem for his friend. Wheeler jumped and caught the two video game cartridges while suspended.

At the very moment his hands came in contact, an explosion shook the entire mine and area; it was clear that the mine had been hit with something as it continued to shake and the rocks which lined the walls were quickly tumbling. Duncan fell to the floor almost instantly, the hard gravel turning to soft rocks beneath his feet. Wheeler landed hard on his back, unable to stand as the earth shook.

"Hurry, get out!" yelled Duncan as he got up to his feet. Wheeler simply lay still, the cartridges having fallen from his hands. "I said, get out! C'mon, Wheels!" He ran to him carefully, knowing that eventually the mine would continue to fall and collapse upon them both. "We have to go or we're toast!" He lowered himself and shook his friend. No movement came. "Ahhh, c'mon, Wheeler... Now's not the time to be unconscious." A large rock fell beside him, nearly crushing his foot. "Ahhhh, damnit.. Wheeler... I don't want to leave you here..." The rumbling was getting worse.

Duncan inhaled a long breath, clutching his hair tightly with his hands. "I'm sorry, bud." He grabbed the two games that Wheeler had unintentionally dropped and ran to the exit as quickly as he could, dodging rocks on the way. "I'm sorry, bud...."

***

His eyes slowly began to open, teetering in doing so. There was no illumination. Aside from the bruise that would soon be a dark purple on his back, he was unharmed. The blackness was unlike any he had encountered before; it was a shade darker than what he was used to -- an utter, dark, pure black. The darkness did not frighten him, but the idea of being trapped did. He put his hands to his side for support and raised his back slowly, hoping that he wouldn't become too lightheaded. He got to his feet relatively quickly, trying to see something, with no avail. He slowly shuffled his feet, hoping not to inadvertently kill himself by tripping on a rock the size of his finger.

[i]His lighter.[/i] The idea lit up his mind and he began to get a brighter image of escaping. He rustled it out of his pocket, placing his finger on the thumbwheel and striking it downward. A flame appeared, and Wheeler froze. A twinge of pain darted through his body and the direction his head was facing unwillingly turned to the left as if being pulled by an unbreakable string. Panic invaded his body as he realized it was moving against his will. He attempted to remain calm but couldn't resist the instinctual frenzy which came from the moment after he lit the flame. It was clear that the direction he entered the mine was closed by a piling of rocks and that the direction he was facing was the only possible path to go. He willingly shifted his body to match the direction of his head. Breathing heavily, he took a step forward. As he did so, a red circle mysteriously appeared on the ground before him. Its tint was a bright and brilliant red, and the inside was filled with a brighter, sharper orange. He looked down, stunned at the colors that the ground had become in front of him. Its gorgeous hues matched those of the flame which still stood atop the lighter that Wheeler had in his left hand.

He examined it closely and kept his footing. He attempted to keep his breathing regular and bent down towards it, holding the flame closer to get a better look. His face got closer as he tested his senses: it smelled like ash; it made no noise, just there; it flashed brilliantly and continued to catch his attention; the smell of ash transmitted to his mouth and he could taste how burnt it seemed; he reached his hand out to touch it, extremely cautious and slow.

His finger hovered about it, shaking and hesitant. He quickly put it down into the circle, making contact. Heat began to manifest from the circle and red flashes streamed from it, attacking the walls around but making no physical impact; it seemed to be a trick of light with no actual matter to strike the gravel. The amount of streams increased and the diameter of the circle began to shrink. Its radiant glow seemed brighter as the beams that shot off increased and the size of the fiery circle decreased. Wheeler's finger stayed glued to the circle, against his will; it had began to give off extreme heat and he felt as if his finger was being severely burnt. He screamed loudly and tugged away but his entire arm was fixed and unmovable. The beams continued to multiply and the circle decreased even further in size. A soft humming appeared and became louder as the circle had almost completely vanished. In an instant, the beams disappeared, the circle was gone, and a poof of smoke appeared, signifying the disappearance. The room was only partially illuminated now, by something odd that he could not pinpoint.

He stumbled backwards, still tugging away. Wheeler quickly jolted his finger only centimeters from his face, quivering at what should be extraordinary burns; however, there was not a scratch from where his finger had made contact and had been burnt.

Had this been all some trick of his imagination? Perhaps he hit his head when the mines shook as well. The lights... the circle... his body moving. It all seemed extremely real -- vivid in his mind. [i]Impossible...[/i].

The absolute darkness was still being broken by something, but Wheeler's lighter had long ago fallen on the ground in an unknown position and it could not be making the small light by itself; however, there was something glowing from what seemed to be directly in front of him.

He crawled on his knees forward. He pinpoint the spot which permitted light in the empty cave which he found himself in. On the floor lay something metallic, dispelling brightness. In an instant, he grabbed it and held it in his hand.

It was a golden ring; atop was fixed a plate which had the emblem of fire carved perfectly into it. To his surprise, it burnt not but was a cold that comes from metal that is neglected of human touch. He seemed to gaze into the ring, mystified. His thoughts shot in many directions, but they all seemed to end in the same spot: he slid the ring onto his finger with ease. He was caught off-guard as his body began to warm up; heat that had been exhausted through the night suddenly was replenished and his body rejuvenated. He clenched his fists, acknowledging the change in demeanor.

***

The ring continued to glow, giving off a faint light around him. Impulses filled his head. [i]"This way..."[/i] they cried, pointing away from the entrance which was still completely blocked off by a pile of gravel. The mines were not unfamiliar for Wheeler; many times, the chase had not ended at the entrance but continued deep within; he knew better than most the paths and directions. It was not for another two miles that an exit became possible -- and with the mines in the ragged condition they were, he would be lucky to get a thousand feet. Still, however, he listened to the nagging voice which penetrated his better judgment.

He began walking away, questioning the decision he had made. It took fifteen seconds of walking for the gravel to come falling; a wrecking ball made its way in, barely grazing the front -- allowing them to tumble gracefully. Wheeler's unconscious state clearly lasted longer than he assumed; daytime's light shone into the mine, exposing the rubble, his fallen lighter, the terrible state of the cave, and a large bruise on his arm that he had not noticed before. He covered his eyes, hoping to not fall prey to the treacherous light which can leave eyes at dismay if not properly adjusted.

"Think we got one, Bern!" The silhouette of the man who shouted to his co-worker was running towards Wheeler, speeding quickly. His voice became softer as he reached the target. "It's okay, kid. We got you now. You okay?"

Wheeler's eyes had gotten used to the intense light which he had not seen in what seemed like ages. "Yeah... fine." His thoughts still stayed fixated on the ring whose origins perplexed him. "Let's just... get out of here, please." Wheeler headed towards the door, neither tired nor sore, gripping his fist and feeling the outline of the ring on his finger.


End file.
